Kelp-drier.



Tl VVARRICK.

KELP DRTER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 24, 19T I.

Tatented Apr, 9, 1.918.

LZQATG.,

KELP-Dldllllll.

recentie.

Specication of Letters tatent.

Application filed September 24, 191'?. Serial No. 192,293.9.

To all whom t may eminem.'

Be it known that I, THOMAS VVARRICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at ALong Beach, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Kelp-Diners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to kelp treating machinery and particularly pertains to a drier therefor.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a machine through which raw kelp may be continuouslyA fed and within which it may be readily dried preliminary to the incineration thereof.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the above character which is simple and compact in its construction and ma be readily filled and cleaned.

ther objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view in section and elevation illustrating the kelp drier and its connection with a furnace and ash recovery system.

Fig. 2 is a view in transverse section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 disclosing the radial arrangement of the agitating lingers within the drum of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a view in section and elevation illustrating a fragmentary portion of 'the drum of the machine and the agitating Lngers mounted therein.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, indicates a furnace of any desired construction having a iiue opening 11 through the wall thereof. This opening is surrounded by a frusto-conical thlmble 12, the enlarged mouth of which is disposed vertically and abuts against the opened end of a kelp drying drum 13. The thimble 12 is fixed and is therefore fitted with Ia feed hopper 14 through which raw kelp may be delivered to the drum. vAs shown in the i drawings, the contiguous edges of the thimble and drum are made with flanges which substantially close the gap between them and allow the raw kelp to easily move into the drum 13. This drum is of a uniform diameter throughout its length and has been found preferable to be of a diameter of approximately seven feet, and a length of forty to fifty feet. When constructed according to these dimensions it is mounted to have a horizontal fall of approximately two inches to its length.

rlihe opposite ends of the drum are formed with annular tires 15 and 16 which are supported upon trunnion rollers 17 and 18. rllie rollers 1i' are mounted within hearings 19, and the rollers i8 are mounted within hearings 20. The two sets of rollers l? and nue embodies an air passage-way and a hopper 27. The passage-way entends' upwardly to a draft conduit 28 which is sultably connected with a suction fan (not shown in the drawings). The hopper extends downwardly and has downwardly converging walls in connection with a help outlet pipe 29, through which the dried material is carried ofi.

Mounted within the drum for the purpose of agitating and feeding the lrelp therethrough are sets of agitating ngers 30 which are arranged parallel to each other and radially of the drum substantially throughout its length. These rows of fingers are secured to angle strips 3l which are in turn fastened to the inner wall of the drum and loont .in the shape shown in F ig. 1. By mounting the hngers upon strips so disposed, they will he arranged along a slight helix at the front end of the drum and will 'thereafter extend in rows parallel to the center of the drum,'the rows terminating a distance of approximately seven feet from the endwhen the machine is built according to the dimensions hereinbefore specified. As particularly shown in liig. 2, the fingers are formed with slightly hooked ends by which the kelp is engaged and thoi-, oughly agitated.

ln operation, raw kelp is thrown into the hopper 1a from which point it will avitate through the flue thimhle 12 and into the forward end ofthe drum i3. When in il@ retreated nos. e, rois.- i

soy

75 formed through one wall of a ue 2G. This v 1 ture which has escaped from the kelp.

the drum, it will be engaged by the fingers 30 which, due to their helical arrangement, will simultaneously agitato it and advance it along the drum. During this Lotion-l the products of combustion from the urnoce rfire passing through the drum in the sume direction as the travel of the help. ln this manner the draft from the iurnoce will uid in feeding the kelp through the machine. As the kelp progresses along-the drum. it Will be relieved of its moisture sind will crumble into pieces which Will gradually move along the lower part of the drum and will be ejected into the flue 26. Attention is directed to the fact that the lelp is not reduced to ash, but merely dried und stili possesses enough Weight to cause it to grovitate into the hopper 27 Within the ue ond not be carried upwardly with the droit through the draft conduit 28 with the mosy this method the kelp may be efficiently :treed of moisture, it havin been proven that epproximately ninetyour per. cent of the moisture is removed, While most other muchines have oniy been copafoie of removing eighty-tive Aper it will thus struction ont my kelp drier es now known to ine, it mii he understood that various changes in the comhinution, construction and arrangement o ports may he mede by those skilled in the art Without departing from the spirit of my invention as claimed` if claim:

ln u kelp drier, e cylindrical drum, ongle irons iixed longitudinally against the inner roce or the drum, tund ngers xed to the angle irons und projecting radially inwardly; the inner ends of the lingers being; curved in the direction of rotation.

'1in 'testimony whereof l have signed my naine to this specitiootion. A

THMAS WVARRGK While li have shown the preferred con- 

